Flight
by Sabi-chan93
Summary: Sorta oneshot (meant more as a tryout for my story 'WINGS') AU. Amazing powers don't come for free. They come with white wings and deadly enemies - some in the form of a loved one. Higshcool aged Cherik.


_**A/N UPDATE: I have now actually begun writing this as a full multi-chapter story – you can find it under my profile titled 'Wings' **_

**A/N:** This is a sort of tryout – to see if I want to turn it into a full multi-chapter story. This particular scene would not be the beginning of the story; it would be later. Let me know what you think ^^

**Pairing:** Cherik – ErikxCharles

**AU: ** Special powers don't come for free. They come with white wings and deadly enemies. AU same powers + wings, high school age - mostly.

**Warnings:** homosexual themes, AU universe

**Disclaimer**: I don't own X-men first class (or any other part of the x-men franchise) – I can guarantee you it would have ended differently if I did.

**First Flight**

Their steps echoed loudly as they hurried up the many stairs. Charles did his best to laugh at Sean's endless stream of bad jokes without it seeming forged but after almost an hour in the other's company it was getting increasingly more difficult. Behind him Raven was complaining about a bad day in school and Hank tried his best to pretend to listen. Charles wanted to be sympathetic but from what he'd seen in Raven's mind, her life was nowhere near as rough as she'd convinced herself it was. Up front Logan had finally reached the door and was holding it open for Alex to walk through, Darwin right behind him. Charles and Sean stepped out onto the rooftop right after them, and Charles enjoyed the sensation of a cool night breeze pushing his hair back.

Darwin was starting to bounce eagerly, clasping his hands together in anticipation. Charles smiled in understanding as he could feel the excitement in the younger boy's mind. This was very new and exhilarating for him – though he doubted many teenagers would be thrilled at the prospect of jumping off a skyscraper. Charles shook the thought from his head and pulled his sweater over his head. Focusing his mind he allowed the great white wings to grow from his shoulder blades, shredding the t-shirt he'd _burrowed _from his no-good stepfather. He smiled. It might have been his favorite.

Hank helped Raven out of her jacket and Charles noticed she was wearing a top with no back. Clever. Her wings spread strong and proud behind her, flapping playfully at Hank as he freed his wings as well. The other guys ignored the cold and removed both jackets and shirts, leaving their chests exposed to the wind.

In no time all seven of them had grand wings spread behind them. Sean couldn't control his eagerness and jumped right off the rooftop. He circled around a chimney with an enormous grin on his face. Logan shook his head at the boy whilst Alex smiled affectionately, clearly wanting to fly as well but feeling obligated to stay by Darwin's side in case he needed help with his first flight.

_Can't we just push him off the edge?_ Charles heard Raven think as she set off to join Sean who was now chasing a frightened pigeon.

Logan tried to control his impatience as he explained the basics of flying to Darwin. Charles did his best to send clear mental images to the newbie's mind as he sensed the boy preferred a visual briefing. After fifteen minutes of explaining, Alex rolled his eyes, snuck up on Darwin … and pushed.

_Perfect,_ Raven's mind cheered in Charles' head. He sent he a warning glance before jumping off the building with Logan to try and catch Darwin. They grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back up to the rooftop.

"What the hell was that for?!" a very pale Darwin yelled. Alex shrugged.

"Hey," he began. "You're gonna have to jump anyway. Might as well just get it over with, right?"

He quickly removed the grin from his face, though, when he caught sight of Logan's glare. Darwin considered his explanation for a minute. Then he took a few steps back, turned and ran as fast as he could until he reached the edge. Then he jumped.

At first he appeared to regret his impulsive action but then he instinctively began flapping his wings. He stopped his fall midair and stared up in amazement at Sean, who hovered right above him. He flapped his wings more confidently and managed to fly up to Sean who playfully flew away.

As it turned out, Darwin was quite a fast learner. In no time he'd taught himself to change direction, spin and fly straight forward. Charles did notice, however, that he was considerably slower than the rest of them. Even slower than Hank – which meant that he obviously had trouble keeping up with Raven and Sean who, due to their slimmer physique, were the fastest members of the flock.

Charles was actually enjoying himself, relaxed as he watched the others have fun, but then his mind caught up with a nearing threat and he gasped. Logan's eyes were at him at once and the man landed gracefully near him.

"What's the matter?" he asked urgently. "Someone coming?"

Charles nodded and the danger became obvious to him. "_They're_ coming. They're on their way and they'll be here soon," he explained and paled as he realized. "All of them."

Everyone aside from Darwin turned serious. He was far too new to know who they were talking about. He'd never met the Red-Winged ones before. Charles wanted to explain the danger to him but he was far too caught up in his own dread. If all of them were coming – as he'd sensed – that meant Erik was with them.

Hank and Raven exchanged worried glanced, entwining their fingers as they landed themselves of the rooftop.

"We should fly away," Alex suggested. "Charles should be able to know which direction they're coming from, right? Let's leave."

Raven nodded her agreement and gathered her blond hair in ponytail as Darwin made a noise of protest, not seeing any true danger. Charles searched through the city with his mind and re-found the approaching figures.

"That should be the safest route," he said and pointed north. Logan nodded solemnly and gestured for the group to take off. As they flew north the wind gradually grew chillier and Charles was beginning to feel the goosebumps spreading all over his back. Damn his stepfather for buying such a thin shirt. It was doing nothing to protect him from the cold; he might as well have worn nothing.

He tried his best to ignore the cold, though, as he was the group's best chance at getting away. He kept his mind on the looming figures and cringed as he felt the edges of Erik's mind. He wasn't ready to go there. In front of him, Logan was sniffing the air in every direction to pick up on any unwanted scents. The rest of the group just kept a visual lookout, which would hardly do them any good. They flew relatively low to avoid being too much out in the open but it would do them little good if anyone down below were to look upwards. It was a good thing the people of the city had given up on seeing any stars in the sky a long time ago.

"Behind us," Charles exclaimed as he suddenly felt the enemies' minds far too close to them. How had he missed it? Then he realized Emma had to be with them. She must have changed his vision. Guilt filled his gut but he tried to regain focus as the group broke so hard midair that they nearly fell into each other.

Unfortunately, Charles was right. Behind them, two pairs of crimson wings came flying towards them. _Two? Why just two? _The question echoed through the minds of the group as Angel and Riptide neared them. A brutal laughter sounded from the west and three new sets of wings appeared; Emma and two boys Charles didn't remember the names of, though that didn't make them any less intimidating. A feeling of something familiar in made Charles look to the east where he instantaneously saw _him, _Erik, flying expressionlessly next to Azazel. Erik wasn't looking at Charles. His gaze was locked on Raven, whom his mind concluded was the weakest link.

Charles felt the panic come off Hank in waves and turning his gaze away from Erik, he saw Darwin stare in awe at the newcomers. Logan growled and tensed; it somehow making Charles feel even worse than Hank's fear had. Charles felt it was probably his duty to be ready to enter the Red-Wingeds' minds, to cloud their sensed until they were so distracted that he and his friends could escape. Deeming Azazel to be the biggest thread, he kept his focus on him.

"North is clear," Sean mumbled.

"Charles," Logan called loudly enough for him to hear. "How many of them can you knock out?"

"Three," he answered somewhat proudly. "But it won't last as long."

To his frustration his wings were starting to grow heavy. The Red-Winged attackers were circling them like hungry sharks. Several of them had already grown out their long red claws and they were now blocking every direction. Charles shivered as he felt Azazel's mind zero in on him. He'd been targeted.

Darwin was growing increasingly more impatient next to him. He was so sure of his powers he thought himself invincible. He sized up Angel. And snorted.

That ticked off the petite girl who threw herself at him in wild rage. The poor boy was so stunned he forgot to flab his wings and fell down two meters, unintentionally saving his own life. Riptide flew past his hunting partners too fast for Charles to react. He didn't even realize the danger until a blast of Alex' energy blew the man away. Everything happened far too fast then.

Raven and Hank dove, the two nameless Red-Winged following them closely. Sean and Alex spun back after Darwin, pulling him east with them as there was now a clear path in that direction. Logan and Emma circulated each other around a nearby billboard sign. All of this resulted in Charles being face to face with two Red-Winged Ones: Azazel…. And Erik.

He folded his wings backwards and allowed himself to fall down towards the top of a thirty-story office building. He turned sharply to the left and dove down the fire stairs. He swung to the right alongside another building. He caught a glimpse of his own stressed expression in his reflection in the glass windows. He was nearing the end of the building, his heavy wings tiring his shoulders. Then around the corner came Azazel.

Charles straightened up and flew upwards, further and further away from the ground with Azazel right underneath him. The exhaustion was tearing at him intensely and it was affecting his speed. No. He couldn't lose. Couldn't die just yet. He rebooted his inner strength and pretended not to notice the pain in his shoulders.

He couldn't go any higher, he thought. He was going to have to change direction but he couldn't allow himself to get caught. He checked his surroundings. East was clear. He turned but the red-winged creature was right behind him, getting closer. Just seven meters away from him. Six meters. Five meters. Four meters. He held his breath. Three meters. Two meters.

He screamed. The razor-sharp claws bored themselves into his ankle and Charles felt the warm blood run down into his sneaker. He couldn't fly any further and Azazel's grip was too tight. He looked down into the face of his capturer and recoiled at the sadistic smirk on the other's face.

Now or never. Charles put his all into a final mental blow, releasing a darkness over Azazel as he clouded his mind and blinded his senses. His eyes grew empty and his wings stopped moving. He released Charles' ankle and fell, down onto an inclined roof.

Charles watched him fall as he tried to regain a sense of control over his own breathing. The pain closed around his ankle like a heavy chain and he lost altitude. Looking for a safe place to land he spotted a building covered in scaffolding. He dove… well, fell actually.

He landed on all fours and hid deeply into the plastic sanctuary. He pulled the shredded bottom of his jeans aside to examine his ankle. _Could have been worse_. He tried to make regain a calmer breathing pattern. When he didn't succeed he tried rubbing his chilled arms. He folded his wings protectively around himself, feeling rather hopeless.

Some scaffolding rattled a few meters away from him. Startled, he unfolded his wings, ready to release his powers upon the intruder.

"It's not like you to hide," said Erik. It was obviously meant as a taunt but somehow he couldn't quite hit the right tone.

Charles wanted to attack. To defend himself. To cloud the other's senses so heavily that he would never see clearly again. But he couldn't. He could never harm Erik and he hated himself for suddenly feeling safer in his company. Like nothing had changed. How ironic, Charles thought in morbid amusement. One of the only times he'd ever felt truly safe – and it was in his final moments.

Erik should be attacking. Wasn't that what he was there for? The entire foundation for his existence? But he just stared at Charles. For a moment Charles feared he might have accidentally clouded Erik without knowing it, but then his face gained an actual expression again. A worried one. His eyes locked on Charles' bloody ankle and he tentatively came closer. Erik sat down next to Charles, put a strong hand on his ankle and stroked it carefully.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm really sorry you got hurt." And he didn't even avoid Charles' confused stare. He looked him right in the eyes and put his free hand on his shoulder.

And that was about when Charles lost his mind and self-control. He missed it. He missed Erik. He was greedy for the intimacy that was once there. And the intimacy that could have been. He out both his arms around Erik's neck and pulled him close. Close enough to smell his deodorant. Erik followed his example and held onto Charles tightly, burrowing his face into his hair.

"I'm really sorry," Erik murmured again and kissed him apologetically. Charles sighed and allowed himself to enjoy this moment, knowing that soon he would have to leave. He would have to go back to his friends, make sure everyone had survived. And Erik would have to leave him, too. He would go back to _them. _And who knows what would become of them.

_ . _ . _

_._.

_So, thanks so much for readin! __**A/N UPDATE: I have now actually begun writing this as a full multi-chapter story – you can find it under my profile titled **__**'Wings'**__** . If interested in this story – that's the one to follow **_

_**-Sabi-Chan**_


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